GOLF: A child of destiny, Tiger Woods has become a man of numinous deeds, each one surpassing the brilliance of the previous. Yesterday, in the US PGA at Medinah, a final round cauldron where he was the coolest player in the mix and the only one apparently unaffected by the heat of such pressure pots, the legend grew ever larger as the world's number one golfer - sportsman? - continued his quest for greatness.

As the hands on the large Rolex clock by the first tee reached 1.50pm (local time), Woods took his first stroke in pursuit of his 12th major win. Only Jack Nicklaus, with 18 career majors, has more.

Less than 10 minutes later, Woods rolled in a 15-footer for birdie, just his third stroke of the day, to grab the outright lead in the championship for the first time.

But about two hours earlier Woods probably got the biggest scare of his day when an absent-minded radioman walked in front of the golfer's shiny black Buick as it manoeuvred its way to a space in the carpark, with the car narrowly avoiding the man.

Out on the course, though, life was a good deal more uncomplicated, with Woods reverting to form in his customary, final-round charge towards his latest title.

The odds were stacked in Woods' favour as he set out on a day when a gentle wind caressed the No 3 course with just enough hint of menace to make players think twice about club selection and strategy. As a front-runner in golf, Woods has no peer. In the 39 previous times he led or shared the 54-hole lead in a tournament, he had won 36 times. In major championships, it was 11 for 11.

So, that was the task facing Luke Donald, the Englishman who shared the third round lead and seeking to become the first European winner of a major since 1999, and also facing those in pursuit. Men like Mike Weir, Sergio Garcia, Shaun Micheel and Geoff Ogilvy.

"At some point, he's not going to win one when he's leading," said Ogilvy, the last man to win a major before Woods. The Aussie won the US Open at Winged Foot in June. He added: "He's not going to go his whole career, hopefully, leading after three rounds and winning. Someone is going to beat him one day."

While Donald had opined, "Tiger's numbers are obviously impressive, and that's why he is the best player in the world right now. He knows that just playing his game is going to be good enough usually. He usually lets other players lose to him."

Yesterday, as fate took its usual turn for Woods, it looked as if another masterclass was condemning all others to a place where they could simply marvel at his deeds. That birdie on the first was followed by a further three on the front nine, on the fifth, sixth and eighth, as Woods reached the turn in 32 to move to 18-under for the championship, and four shots clear of his nearest rival, Mike Weir.

While the destination of the title was one factor, the most important, of yesterday's final round, the conclusion of the US PGA - the season's final major - was also important with regard to the US Ryder Cup team as the event brought to an end the two-year qualifying process for the match with Europe at The K Club next month.

US captain Tom Lehman, who has organised a two-day visit for his team to the K Club next week, will announce his two wild card selections in Chicago today, but his hope that players like Davis Love, Stewart Cink, Tim Herron or Jerry Kelly might play their way into the team failed to materialise which makes his task of captain's picks all the more difficult.

Cink fared best shooting a final round of 69 and Steve Stricker hung in for most of the day in search of the third place that would have elevated him into the team but it was not to be.

It means that the American team will definitely have four rookies, in Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson, Brett Wetterich and JJ Henry, for the match on September 22nd-24th.

Graeme McDowell finished with a final round 72 for 287, one-under, which left him in tied-37th.

In the previous two majors of the year, the US Open and the British Open, McDowell had finished with dispiriting 79s.

"It's been a breath of fresh air this week. I've been happier with my game and swing. I'm not 100 per cent happy with how I scored at the weekend, but I've a little more to draw on than I had at the US and British Opens," said McDowell, who will play in this week's Reno-Tahoe Open.

Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, plays in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, where he will be joined by Paul McGinley, who missed out on the US PGA so that he could attend Heather Clarke's funeral. His absence, however, has not altered his position in the European Ryder Cup table.

Leaderboard

18 under

Tiger Woods (US) 9 holes

14 under

Mike Weir (Can) 9 holes

13 under

Luke Donald (Eng)9 holes

Adam Scott (Aus)14 holes

12 under

Shaun Micheel (US) 10 holes

11 under

Steve Stricker (US)14 holes

KJ Choi (Kor)11 holes

Sergio Garcia (Spa)10 holes